Brie De Meaux Whole

The finest of all bries from the region where brie originated. Full, rich flavour with a fruity yet mildly tangy taste.

£86.00
per unit

Not for exportUnpasteurisedTraditional RennetPDOCow

PLU 389

Qty

Key Facts

CountryFrance

RegionIle de France

AccreditationPDO

FlavourEarthy and fruity

Type of MilkCow

PasteurisationUnpasteurised

Vegetarian RennetNo

OrganicNo

Weight3 Kg

Weight TypeMin

Store & Serve

Individual cheeses will carry their own Best Before/Use By Date, we endeavour to give a minimum of 7 days from the date the order is despatched

StorageKeep refrigerated.

Instructions for useServe at room temperature.

Recommended DrinkBourgogne

Nutrition

IngredientsCows' Milk, Salt, Rennet, Dairy Cultures (Milk)

AllergensMilk

Nutritional Information

Typical Valuesper 100g

Energy kJ1187

Energy kcal288

Fat20

Of which saturates14.78

Carbohydrates2.6

Of which sugars0.2

Protein20.4

Salt1.42

Name & address of food supplier

Paxton & Whitfield Ltd, 93 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JE

These summary details have been prepared for information purposes only. While we have taken care in preparing this summary and believe it is accurate, it is not a substitute for reading the product packaging and label prior to use. Paxton & Whitfield is unable to accept liability for any incorrect information. If you require specific advice, please contact our mail order team on 01451 823460 or email sales@paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk.

About

Brie de Meaux has been well-known since the Middle Ages and has a very distinguished past in which it has been appreciated by writers and royalty alike. Charlemagne enjoyed the cheese; Phillippe Auguste presented it to the ladies at court for New Year’s presents; Henry IV and Queen Margot feasted on it at amorous parties and Louis XVI asked for some after his arrest at Varennes. In 1815, during the Congress of Vienna where 30 European diplomats were assembled for the task of reorganising Europe after the defeat of Napoleon, there was a banquet for the plenipotentiary where each person was served their favourite cheese. As an idea to relieve the boredom of the negotiations, a competition was declared to select the best of all the cheese available. Talleyrand suggested his favourite, the Brie de Meaux, made by a farmer named Baulny from Villeroy, and it was subsequently named "Roi des Fromages", or "King of Cheeses".

Over the centuries, the cheese has been widely imitated by both farmers in neighbouring regions and by factories producing pasteurised – neither of which lived up to the standards of the original. For this reason, in 1980, Brie de Meaux was given a status of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) to preserve the original region and traditional methods of production.

It takes 25 litres of whole, raw milk to produce one brie of approximately 2.5kg. The coagulation temperature must not exceed 37 degrees Celsius. After separating the curds from the whey, the curds are ladled into moulds by hand using a scoop-like too where they drain for three days before being placed on racks and sprinkled with penicillin mould and salt. The whole maturation process takes at least one month, often nearer two, when the ripe Brie's have a rind covered with white mould that is speckled with reddish pigments.

The texture should be even and lightly creamy, supple and smooth without being runny. It should have a pronounced and appealing fruity flavour with a suggestion of nuts and an earthy perfume. A strong aroma of ammonia is a sign that Brie de Meaux has been over matured.